Everything You Know is Wrong
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: This takes place after Jarik's surgery and his and his parents return to their home on Coruscant. A conversation between Jarik and Han. One shot.


EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG

Han was watching the smashball game with Jarik. Ordinarily, this would be one of the best games - Han's Corellian Drednoughts against Jarik's Coruscant Collateral Damages. The Collateral Damages were winning, as they usually were. It went without saying that the Drednoughts were losing, as they usually were. Ordinarily, the two would be arguing over the ref calls and casting aspersions on the other's team. Normally it would be accompanied by consumption of Alderaanian ale and a great deal of laughter.

Tonight, though, Jarik was nearly mute. Part of it may have been due to the injuries he sustained when his rocket sled crashed, but Jarik's subdued presence was more in part from learning that one of his very best friends had betrayed him. Anakin had shown him the security footage from the race. Anakin, Han and Leia said that if he needed to talk, they were there. But he said he didn't want to, and they didn't press. Han had turned on the game, thinking it might distract Jarik and himself. Tonight, they just weren't into it. Han yelled at the refs a couple times, but all Jarik said was, 'your favorite sports team sucks,' lacking the usual taunting.

At halftime, the two normally enjoyed the cheerleaders performing but tonight there was no salacious banter.

"Dad," Jarik said at long last.

"What is it, buddy?" Han's tone was sympathetic.

Jarik sighed. "What're you supposed to do when everything you know is wrong?"

Han pondered how to approach the question. "Well, not everything you know is wrong."

"I was wrong about Quall. I've known the dude like forever. I still can't believe he'd do that to me."

"You planning to talk to him?"

"I dunno. Dunno what to do."

"Well, I don't think you have to make a decision right now."

"Yeah. I'm just wondering, why? We always helped each other and split the prize credits."

"He never won a race," Han commented.

Jarik mulled over that. "Never thought about that. It was just me and Sark and Quall, having fun, didn't matter who won, we split the prize, we had a blast making our racers. It was about having a good time."

Han nodded.

Jarik spoke again. "I dunno, Dad. Sorta takes the fun out of it."

"Yeah, I would imagine."

"Anyone ever betray you?" Jarik asked his father.

Han hated discussing his past, but in this case, maybe recognizing that betrayal came in many forms and had many faces and that no one was immune would make his youngest feel better.

"Yeah. It was a woman."

"Not Mom, I'm guessing."

"No, this was way before Mom. It was...early in the Rebellion. Way early."

"So what'd she do?"

"Well, she got me and my buddies to steal some glitterstim, and promised to pay us a percentage. In the end, she kept all the money; she had no intention of paying us."

"That's a dick move."

"Let's just say I couldn't go near a civilized system for a long time. Lost some good friends over it. I could only get work smuggling, mostly for the Hutts."

"You worked for the Hutts? How could you stand it? They're disgusting."

"As long as they were paying me, I kept working. Starvation and living outdoors wasn't all that appealing."

"So how'd you get wrapped up in the Rebellion since you hated them?"

"I was boarded by the Imperials and had to drop a glitterstim shipment. Jabba, which was the Hutt I was working for, was not pleased, to say the least. I really needed to make some fast money if I expected to keep breathing."

"And lemme guess...Uncle Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi hired you."

"Yep. They offered me 70 percent more for a job than I'd have charged them. I figured, this is perfect, easy charter, extra money, pay back Jabba and still have some for myself."

"Yeah, we all know how that turned out," Jarik said, smiling for the first time in hours. "Someday you gotta take me to the cantina."

"Oh, your mom'll just love that," Han said, rolling his eyes and laughing.

"She's been there. Said she had a good time. Well, except for the Gamorrean that got shot. It kind of unnerved her."

"What can I say? It was a slow night!"

"Hate to see what happens on a busy one." Jarik again smiled.

"It can get messy."

"Ever get shot at there?"

"Sure. But you know I shoot first. It beats being shot second every time." At least the kid's laughing a little, Han told himself. He knew how hard Jarik had been kicked. It had happened to him more times than he could count. He almost never thought about it.

"I dunno. Maybe I should go into the Navy like Jaina did. She's a hell of a pilot."

"Talk to her and then sleep on it for a few days." Han trained military pilots. He wasn't exactly sure Jarik would make a good fighter pilot and he was positive that the BS surrounding the military would drive his son crazy. It wasn't that Jarik couldn't focus; if he wanted to accomplish something, it was done. He'd planned a career in racing with his two friends. Then one was shipped off to university, and it was just the two of them.

And that one had betrayed his son. At the moment, Han was quite willing to use Quall for target practice. But he wasn't going to say it to Jarik. Truth was, Han and Leia had liked the kid. His parents, who'd divorced when he was four, seemed to consider him a nuisance, and Quall relished being at the Solos.' He'd spent the lion's share of his time in their apartment, and when they were young, they'd played for hours on end.

"Maybe Sark's folks had the right idea, making him go to university," Jarik said quietly. "I mean, they never liked him racing. Maybe I oughta think about it."

"Again, don't make any decisions tonight," Han advised.

"Man, getting hurt was nasty enough. But getting shafted by someone who's been your best bud for like forever, man, I dunno if I'm ever gonna feel right about that."

"You shouldn't feel right about it. It was a dick move, to say the least. But eventually, you get past it."

"Pretty obvious you didn't give up on girls," Jarik joked.

"No, always liked women. I had a few relationships, most of which were lightweight and fun, except for the one crazy ex girlfriend."

"Stalker?"

"Close. She and I had a blast racing each other, going through the maws, things like that, crazy stuff. After she'd suffered a crash, though, she did this 180 and suddenly decided we were gonna get married. Only way I got out was to leave in the dead of night and prayed to whatever gods might be working that she'd never locate me."

"Did she?"

"No. I'd have strangled myself before marrying her." Han laughed.

"You get sour on girls after that?"

"Let's just say I wasn't looking. My meeting your mom was, shall we say, random as hell." Han smiled at the memory. "And the rest is history."

"Maybe I'll get lucky someday and find someone as cool as her."

"It'll hit you when you least expect it."

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do next."

"Don't stress over it. Get well first."

"I know, I know. I just never hadda think about it before. I just figured I'd keep racing, me and Sark and Quall, having fun. Life's been fun all the time for me, so I'm kinda not used to being serious about anything."

"Whatever work you choose, take it seriously. But the day you start taking yourself seriously, that's when I start smacking your ass around," Han informed him.

"I don't think that's even remotely possible," Jarik said, and for the first time that evening, Han caught a real smile. "It'd be the biggest cosmic joke out there."

"Only one that'd be bigger would be me taking myself seriously," Han said. "Great. My guys have done it again," he groaned, looking at the final score of the game. "Kiddo, I gotta get some sleep so I can get the _Falcon_ set up to fly out the day after tomorrow."

"Too bad I can't go. You and Chewie, man, you guys are old."

"If you weren't injured, I'd be smacking you around right now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jarik groaned. "Seriously, Dad, I don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay."

"Perhaps your siblings can help you with that."

"Yeah, maybe I should listen to 'em once in a while."

"Just don't make a habit of it."

"Night, Dad."

"Get some sleep, kiddo. You're gonna need it."


End file.
